Cardinals Minor League Notebook: 8/31/17

photo: Ramon Santos (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

In a 5-3 Wednesday across the St. Louis Cardinals minor league system, Player of the Day Ramon Santos pitched Palm Beach to a win. Other standout pitchers include Andrew Summerville, Zach Predergast and Angel Rondon

Results from games played Wednesday, August 30.

Memphis Redbirds 5, Iowa Cubs 4

Patrick Wisdom (USA TODAY Sports Images)

With timely hitting and dependable pitching, the Redbirds enjoyed a 5-4 win over the Cubs on Wednesday to improve to 89-48 on the season.

Third baseman Patrick Wisdom’s system-best 30th home run of the season — a two-out, two-run shot in the fifth — proved to be the difference. Second baseman Aledmys Diaz, left fielder Jordan Schafer, and catcher Gabriel Lino drove in a run apiece.

Redbirds starter Dakota Hudson picked up his first Triple-A victory, as he held the Cubs to three runs over 5 2/3 frames. Reliever Andrew Morales allowed a solo home run to wrap up the sixth before Mike Mayers followed with two scoreless innings and Sean Gilmartin earned his first save.

Thursday’s game: TBA vs. Iowa Cubs, 7:05 PM Central time.


Arkansas Travelers 3 at Springfield Cardinals 0

Zac Gallen (Palm Beach Cardinals)

Springfield’s bats couldn’t take advantage of Zac Gallen’s quality start and fell to the Travelers, 3-0, on Wednesday.

The Cardinals mustered a mere three base hits, two off the bat of center fielder Oscar Mercado. With no walks, hit by pitches, or errors committed by the Travelers, the Cardinals did not record an at-bat with a runner in scoring position.

Gallen suffered his fifth loss of the season, despite logging six innings of three-run ball. Following Gallen out of Springfield’s bullpen was reliever Rowan Wick with two scoreless frames, and newcomer Eric Carter put up a zero in the ninth.

Thursday’s game: Austin Gomber (10-7, 3.42) vs. Arkansas Travelers, 7:10 PM Central time.


Palm Beach Cardinals 4, Daytona Tortugas 1

Ramon Santos (Johnson City Cardinals)

With a strong start from Ramon Santos, the Cardinals were 4-1 winners over the Tortugas on Wednesday.

Santos, our Player of the Day, is now 5-3 on the year. Santos allowed one run on four hits in his seven-inning outing. With the start, Santos lowered his earned run average to 2.81 in 64 innings with the Beach Birds.

Palm Beach’s big inning was the fifth. Third baseman Leobaldo Pina, second baseman Edmundo Sosa, and catcher Brian O’Keefe each had an RBI hit in that frame; first baseman Chris Chinea batted in the Cardinals’ fourth run in the sixth.

Thursday’s game: Mike O’Reilly (3-1, 3.20) at St. Lucie Mets, 5:30 PM Central time.


Peoria Chiefs 4, Quad Cities River Bandits 3

Danny Hudzina (Peoria Chiefs)

With three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Chiefs came back to rob the River Bandits of a victory and enjoyed a 4-3, walk-off win of their own on Wednesday.

Chiefs right fielder Mick Fennell tied the game in the ninth with a bases-loaded single to score two. After Fennell came through, first baseman Danny Hudzina provided the game-winning knock, as he lined one to left field to drive in Peoria’s fourth tally of the game.

Starter Ian Oxnevad allowed two runs over five innings. In relief, Colton Thomson allowed a run in the sixth before Bryan Dobzanski tossed two scoreless frames and Dewin Perez put up a scoreless ninth.

Thursday’s game: Evan Kruczynski (3-3, 3.50) vs. Quad Cities River Bandits, 6:30 PM Central time.


State College Spikes 3 at West Virginia Black Bears 2

Andrew Summerville (State College Spikes)

With single runs in the seventh, eighth, and ninth inning, the Spikes came back to beat the Black Bears by a 3-2 score on Wednesday.

Designated hitter J.D. Crowe came through with an RBI single in the seventh, and left fielder Bryce Denton did the same in the eighth. Catcher Joe Gomez broke the 2-2 tie and put State College ahead with a run-scoring double in the top of the ninth.

Spikes starter Andrew Summerville turned in six innings, with two runs (one earned) allowed on four hits and three walks. Summerville did not factor in the final decision. Instead, it was Alex Faglade who received the win after 2 1/3 scoreless frames in relief. Noel Gonzalez recorded the final two outs for his third save of the season.

Thursday’s game: TBA at Mahoning Valley Scrappers, 6:05 PM Central time.


Bluefield Blue Jays 5 at Johnson City Cardinals 2

Zach Prendergast (Johnson City Cardinals)

Johnson City hit back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the first but failed to add on and fell to the Blue Jays by a 5-2 score.

Catcher Julio Rodriguez and designated hitter Luis Bandes hit their fifth and 10th long balls of the season, respectively, in the first inning.  The home runs accounted for the only Cardinals runs and two of the team’s five hits.

Cardinals starter Zach Prendergast was dominant in his outing, twirling 6 2/3 scoreless innings with nine punchouts. Johnson City’s bullpen couldn’t follow suit, however. Relievers Jake Walsh and Jacob Patterson each surrendered two runs and Fabian Blanco allowed a run, with the Blue Jays scoring all five times between the eighth and ninth innings.

Thursday’s game: TBA vs. Bluefield Blue Jays, 6:00 PM Central time.

GCL Cardinals 6 at GCL Astros 0 (7) – Game 1

Angel Rondon (Dominican Summer League)

With a strong start from Angel Rondon and an offense that worked together, the Cardinals defeated the Astros, 6-0, in the first of two games on Wednesday.

Rondon improved to 3-3 on the year with six shutout innings, during which he punched out five. Reliever Kevin Hamann pitched a scoreless seventh inning for the Cardinals to seal the win.

Four Cardinals collected two hits, including catcher Stephen Zavala, designated hitter Robbie Coman, shortstop Taylor Bryant, and second baseman Moises Castillo. Zavala, Coman, Bryant, and Castillo each scored a run; Zavala drove in two, and Coman batted in one.

GCL Astros 3, GCL Cardinals 0 (7) – Game 2

After they were shut out in the first game, the Astros turned the tables on the Cardinals for a 3-0 win in the second game of Wednesday’s doubleheader, a make up of the August 10 postponement.

The Cardinals’ bats couldn’t get much of anything going in second game, managing only three singles and two walks. The team finished the contest 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position and five left on base.

Enrique Perez started and allowed two runs in his 1 1/3 innings, leading to his second loss in three decisions. Gabriel Gentner then came up with 2 2/3 frames of one-run ball to help spare the bullpen.

The Cardinals will be off Thursday before hosting the Mets on Friday at 9:00 AM Central time.



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